London Jazz News

Review: Gilberto Gil(Royal Festival Hall, London Jazz Festival, November 19th 2009, review by Rod Fogg) There is no equivalent to Gilberto Gil in the English speaking world. If you could find someone […]

Review: Marcus Roberts Trio: Marcus Roberts – piano;Rodney Jordan – double bass;Jason Marsalis – drums(Wigmore Hall, London Jazz Festival, November 16th 2009, Review by Kate Williams) The Marcus Roberts Trio played entirely […]

Review: Stan Sulzmann QuartetThe Green Man, London Jazz Festival, November 20th 2009, review by Patrick Hadfield) After four nights going to gigs in the Queen Elizabeth Hall – a concert venue if […]

Here is a pdf of December Downbeat. Complete with this year’s poll-winners. It’s a big file (which came through to me via Twitter and Facebook) and takes time to load. The poll […]

It wasn’t very Islington. You could sense a deep intake of breath as a smart Friday-night Kings Place full house caught its first sight of Antonello Salis (photo credit : Fabio Presutti). […]

Giulia y Los Tellarini plus the Bright-Size Gypsies(Purcell Room, London Jazz Festival, November 19th 2009, review of the Bright-Size Gypsies by Rob Mallows) Simon Harris and The Bright Size Gypsies (photo above […]

A Led Bib set list. Ink on toilet paper, 2009.* Possibly – for whoever owns it- a collector’s item already. Because, as Music Week reported yesterday Mercury Prize nominees Led Bib are […]

Review : London Jazz Collective(London Jazz Festival, Spice of Life, November 15th 2009, Review by Luke Pinkstone) If I’d been looking for a gig to pace myself gently into the London Jazz […]

Review: Sheila Jordan 81st birthday gig(Bull’s Head, London Jazz Festival, November 18th 2009, review by Georgia Mancio) “It’s quite something to stand up and convey a song. It looks easy…,” mused a […]

An opinion piece from Peter Slavid, who asks critics to be more critical, and to stop giving out five stars to everything: I’m getting a bit fed up with reading all the […]

Review:John Surman(Queen Elizabeth Hall, London Jazz Festival, November 18th 2009, review by Patrick Hadfield) The celebration of John Surman ’s 65 years was a gig of two halves. Surman played support to […]

Gwilym Simcock is busy….He will be giving the London premiere of his choral commission “I Prefer the Gorgeous Freedom” this Saturday 21st in the Queen Elizabeth Hall at 2pm. It had a […]

Review: Carla Bley’s Lost Chords plus Julian Siegel Trio (Queen Elizabeth Hall, London Jazz Festival, November 17th 2009) I definitely feel the need to spare the reader today, to distil the strongest […]

There’s a sense of sadness and of shock in the UK jazz community at the sudden passing, on Monday, of bassist Jeff Clyne. One of those omnipresent, irreplaceable figures in British jazz […]

Review: Melody Gardot(Royal Festival Hall, London Jazz Festival, November 15th 2009, review by Alison Hoblyn) Melody Gardot’s lateness antagonised the Royal Festival Hall audience.But Melody Gardot – gradually – won over writer […]